Ottawa aftermath: Boucher’s playing schedule, Sharks’ special teams and Lemieux’s return to Montreal

EN ROUTE TO MONTREAL – Riding the rails today, a one-hour, 45-minute trip on a rainy day. Which tells you that it’s not nearly as cold as usual up here at this time of year.

Much to kick around from last night’s 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

I couldn’t help but notice the ongoing discussion (debate? fight? brawl?) in here on the Sharks’ goaltending situation and whether or not Brian Boucher should be getting more starts. I figured his performance last night would only stoke the fires.

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I brought the subject up with both Coach Todd McLellan and Boucher last night.

In praising Boucher’s consistently strong performance whenever he’s given the start in place of No. 1 goalie Evgeni Nabokov, McLellan mentioned that when Boucher is out there, his teammates “are excited and they want to play for him. That’s also a real good sign.”

At that point I asked if games like this one makes it tougher not to use Boucher more frequently.

“I don’t know that it changes anything,” McLellan said. “The fact that he can come in and pinch hit like that is tremendous. He’s done it all year. He knows that we appreciate it, that his teammates appreciate it. And we’ll see as the games go on.”

Nabokov, of course, has shown that he has more success when he works frequently. Last year’s performance supports that.

“The more Nabby works, the better he is and he likes the workload.,” McLellan said. “We’ll have to balance it going down the stretch somehow.”

Boucher initially was asked about how dealing with going weeks at a time between starts.

“It’s been good,” he said. “You just try to do your job and the guys played solid in front of me tonight. It makes my life a lot easier, that’s for sure.”

When I asked if he were still content with as many or as few games as the coaches saw fit, he initially said he didn’t think he was in a position to demand things as far as workload.

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“Nabby’s been the guy here for a long time,” Boucher continued, “and I think we have a great thing going. I’m happy being on this team and doing what I can to help the team and hopefully I can continue to do it.”

I asked him if the first period was the toughest after a gap between starts.

“Sometimes,” he said. “You want to feel the puck a little bit. But it seems like I didn’t have that much of a layoff this time. They said it was eight games, but maybe it was eight games in a few days. It didn’t feel like a long time in-between starts.”

OK, let the ongoing conversation continue. Or not. Your choice.

********Just as I was mentally framing the article on last night’s game as another case where the Sharks’ special teams were letting them down, San Jose got those two power play goals 78 seconds apart and killed that story line.

That same turnaround was not lost on players, who were aware that despite impressive statistics for the season, they hadn’t been getting it done lately on the power play or penalty kill.

“We needed to get that going,” Patrick Marleau said of the power play. “We need both our special teams to start winning more games. I think we’ve been on the negative side of losing those battles and it’s going to come down to, in the playoffs, not only five-on-five but also those special teams’ battles.”

********The Sharks have the day off today – all except Claude Lemieux. He started his career in Montreal, won a Stanley Cup there in 1986, and was in such media demand in the hockey-crazed city that he and the Sharks agreed to set up a press opportunity at the team’s hotel not far from the Bell Center.

I’m guessing Lemieux doesn’t treat this as too much of an imposition. He was in a pretty good mood last night, especially for a player who had been a healthy scratch. I asked him if was OK with that.

“Yeah,” he said. “I want to play every game, but there are 23 guys and when healthy, 23 guys want to play. As I said when I got here, I’m willing to do what it takes to help the club and coaches make decisions based on either their feelings of who should go or not go, or who needs a rest. Four games in six nights, three games in four nights.”

McLellan, if you missed it in the print edition, said his decision wasn’t a reflection of Lemieux’s play, but an attempt to spread the minutes among seven defensemen, not six, because of the busy schedule as of late.

Lemieux was already focusing on the next game.

“I’m excited about Saturday,” he said. “It’ll be an emotional night.”

And then he headed off to meet with the crowd of friends and family members who had made the trip to Ottawa from his hometown of Buckingham, Quebec — only about 25 miles to the northeast.

“I’ve got 50 friends here,” Lemieux said. “I’ve got to go.”

Hmmm. I’m thinking those folks might be the ones who are questioning McLellan’s decision not to put Lemieux in the lineup against the Senators.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

If we could get Pronger I’d do it. If it Cost Erhoff and Michalek and picks and prospects I’d still do it. That jackass can change a hockey game, he can make opponents dread playing you and shy away from you in a series. His dumb penalties aren’t any worse than what Blake does, and sometimes they’re not as dumb as they first appear. Everybody on the ice knows where Pronger is.

All that said, DW isn’t going to mortgage our future to a division rival.

Listened to Roenick after Ottawa game and he says the team
is just dog tired. Thornton especially said he was tired between
2nd and 3rd period, also he said they have been riding the
first two lines hard. Couple that with the travel and they are
just dragging compared to Oct and Nov.
Still 20 games left and the concern would have to be staying
fresh for the playoffs.

DMan

JR made a big deal about home ice advantage all the way throughout the playoffs. He was emphatic that it could be the difference between Cup and 3rd place. Jamie’s response: Amen.

TM said we are great at home, bad in Detroit and that must change.

It’s Joe Louis Arena that is in their head.

http://www.mercurynews.com the OldeReprobate

Re: DW talking to the Ducks about Pronger

If Doug Wilson is actually in the bidding — and that is IF — maybe it is just to drive up the cost for whichever competitor wins the auction… sort of like an auction house that has shills in the audience to bid up the price. It would weaken our competition if they paid a larger price.

GoeThornton

Not to beat up on Booch, but his history when starting many games (aside from this seasons stretch) hasn’t been the best. I know he was on garbage teams, but maybe he is better coming in once in awhile. A goalie usually plays better when he has a chance to showcase his skill, maybe for stock, maybe for ice time or the fact he doesnt want to look like a 1980 toyota in a river all rusty. Look at how many backups the Sharks have played this season. Do you think the opposing coach just says hey well they are going to beat us so lets put in our #2 I don’t think so. A lot of it is to give a goalie a rest, but also to inject some life into a team. The Sharks said it first they like to win under him. Nabby hasn’t folded under good teams or really in the playoffs. I mean you look at the three years in row that we lost in the second round, he wasn’t that bad (aside from trying to play the puck). It was our guys not giving him enough goal support. We weren’t losing 5-4 7-6 no we were losing 3-1 3-2 2-1. That is going to be the big difference this year as we now average 3.5 goals a game. Then all those games turn into 4-3 4-2 3-1 in san joses favor. Then nabby will look like a hero. I mean for sakes we have the third lowest goals against in the league. I like Booch and I like Nabby. How many times has Nabby saved our butt. A lot more than cost us the game that is for sure. Have faith in the best hockey club out of San Jose ever and look forward to sucess that has been building for years. Nabby gets hurt we don’t have to worry. Look at Calgary imagine if Kipper gets hurt see ya later enjoy golf. If Thomas from the Bruins gets hurt you think Fernandez who CLEARLY has a problem with being #2 is going to keep it stable. We have an incredible backup and should all be grateful. Nabby is the man and will have an awesome playoffs this year. Defense is going to win us the cup this year for sure. We have the offense to back up any lapse we have on defense or goaltending.

GoeThornton

Also if we are worried about our goaltending, how about the one team we all hate and their problems. That is going to be THEIR weakness that will gut US over the hump. I hate Detroit by the way.

http://mercurynews.com theOldeReprobate

Re: DW talking to the Ducks for Pronger

I hope Doug Wilson isn’t hoping to get Pronger. The players are supposed to be professionals, and work with everyone on their team, but sometimes history can be too much. Pronger has injured or tried to injure too many players on the current Sharks roster. Would Detroit possibly even consider signing Claude Lemieux with his history? I doubt it.

I also agree with the previous post that Pronger takes way too many dumb penalties.

My hope is that DW is in the bidding for Pronger — but just to drive up the price, like some auction houses use shills in the audience. The higher the price paid by the eventual bid winner the weaker our competition is this year.

George

The preoccupation with who finishes first or second in the Western Conference is overblown. In other words, will we have home ice against Detroit?
If you check the last eight Western finals in this milleneum, only twice did the top two teams made it to the finals.
That implies that the chances are only 25% that the Sharks and Wings will meet in the finals.

GoeThornton

#57 I have to disagree. San Jose and Detroit are just that much better than everyone else. He is the possible scenario if the Sharks go #1. First round against anyone not in the top four. If we win that round and we will play the forth seed or whoever they played if they were to lose. Best guess it will be Chicago as I don’t think they will catch up to Calgary. That leaves Detroit playing Calgary or the oppenent from the first round. Lets assume Detroit plays Calgary. That is going to make the red wings very tired before the conference finals, if they advance and vice versa for Calgary. You think Chicago is going to be a gritty in your face team in the playoffs half their players just went to the bar for the first time last week. If we have the first seed in the playoffs (assuming no upset) the Sharks will have an easier road that is less strenuous, then if they were the two seed. Let Detroit play Calgary it would be the best situation possible if the two were to meet in the semifinals. We will be more rested and less banged up. I would say Calgary is why we lost to Dallas last year, not Dallas.

GoeThornton

Another thing about Booch, imagine having to go to work and get paid a lot of money and only have to actually work 17% of the time (when it matters i.e. games) in an entire year doing the thing you love the most. I will take that job.

George

#58: By definition the #1 and #2 seeds are better than the #7 and #8 seeds.
It does not mean, however, that they’ll win those series. As a matter of fact Detroit lost twice in those situations recently.
You also assume that the #3 and #4 seeds (Calgary and Chicago) also advance. That seldom happens.
The Sharks’ infamous exits in the second round are frequently against lower seeds.
In 2006, #8 seed Edmonton went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

DMan

George,

I see your logic. I also heard JR–a very experienced player–say it in a very serious tone. And Jamie was in complete agreement. Plus TM said it too.